


Kimetsu no Yaiba: Shinobi Edition

by MCOury1998



Category: Naruto, 鬼滅の刃 | Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (Anime), 鬼滅の刃 | Kimetsu no Yaiba (Manga)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-04
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-17 11:08:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 18,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29840616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MCOury1998/pseuds/MCOury1998
Summary: This is a crossover of the Naruto  and Kimetsu no Yaiba  series in which the events of the latter begins a year earlier. Several months into his training as a Demon Slayer, Tanjirō Kamado and his little sister Nezuko are brought to an ancient Shinto shrine by Giyū Tomioka to protect them from the Hashira  as they want to kill Nezuko since she is an oni . However, the Shrine unexpectedly whisks the siblings away to another world...
Relationships: Kamado Nezuko/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 2
Kudos: 18





	1. The Temple

Giyū Tomioka stood tall before his opponent, his _nichirin-tō_ drawn and his stance strong as he made it quite clear to the person standing before him that he would _not_ allow them to get past or even defeat him. Usually he got along somewhat well with this person, and if he were to be honest with himself, he actually quite liked her. However, today Shinobu Kochō was his enemy.

Just several days ago, the other _Hashira_ had learned of his secret from a mysterious informant who anonymously tipped them off and his fellow _Hashira_ were displeased with his decision.

And just what decision was that?

Sparing an _oni_.

Which was something that he, as a _Kisatsutai_ , was _not_ supposed to do.

However, this _oni_ in particular was different from the rest. He had found it — no — _her_ crouching over her elder brought. He fought the siblings, the only two surviving Kamado, trying to slay this newly-turned _oni_. However, when Giyū witnessed the _oni_ — no, the girl, who had appeared to be only just eleven-years-old — _protect_ her brother instead of trying to eat him as most _oni_ would, Giyū realized that this child had somehow managed to hang on to at least a bit of her humanity.

And with the boy, who seemed to be only a year older than his sister, intent on protecting his little sister despite what she had become as well as finding a way to turn her back into a human, the _Mizu_ _Hashira_ had decided to spare the girl and sent the Kamado siblings to Sagiri Mountain.

That had been several months ago...sometime around the New Year in fact...and since then the boy, whose name was Tanjirō Kamado, has been training hard under Giyū's own former- _sensei_ Sakonji Urokodaki to become a _Kisatsutai_. And everything had been just perfectly fine at first...

...until now with him being here fighting his fellow _Hashira_ , specifically someone he really liked.

"Come on, Giyū _-kun_ , you're being foolish...wanting to protect an _oni_ ," Shinobu chided Giyū in an informal manner, her own _nichirin-tō_ drawn as well. But just which one of them would strike first?

That was the problem with this confrontation, as _Kisatsutai_ were strictly forbidden from infighting.

"Stand down," Shinobu demanded, not wishing to fight someone who she also secretly liked.

Upon receiving intel of Giyū's deed and where he had sent the _oni_ that he spared, Shinobu and her _Tsuguko_ Kanao Tsuyuri were dispatched to Sagiri Mountain to kill the _oni_ who was currently resting safely inside of a box made from _kirikumo_ cedar that her elder brother Tanjirō carried on his back. The boy, who possibly could have become Giyū's own _Tsuguko_ if things had worked out, was standing behind the _Mizu_ _Hashira_ just several meters from a way from an old temple near Sagiri Mountain that Giyū had been bringing the siblings to upon Urokodaki's instructions.

Apparently the children would find safety inside, but just as they arrived, _these_ _two_ did as well.

When the _Hashira_ had been tipped off that Giyū had spared an _oni_ who he sent along with a boy who was to become a _Kisatsutai_ to Urokodaki, who in turn also allowed the _oni_ to live and was in helping protect it, Shinobu and Kanao had been sent to Sagiri Mountain. Since a former _Hashira_ was protecting the _oni_ , a current _Hashira_ along with her _Tsuguko_ was required for this mission.

But Giyū had gotten there first, retrieving and bringing the Siblings here as quickly as he could.

"Hmm, I don't think so," Giyū replied calmly. "Tanjirō, go ahead and enter the temple!"

Tanjirō, with his little sister Nezuko tucked away safely inside the box he carried on his back, had been just about to enter the temple when Shinobu and her _Tsuguko_ caught up to them. He was not sure what it was about this particular temple that made it safe to hide from the _Hashira_ who wanted his little sister dead, but even though the former _Mizu_ _Hashira_ had told the Kamado siblings that they would gain protection somehow inside this particular temple.

Despite being tough when training the boy, Urokodaki was a good man and Tanjirō trusted him.

"Right," Tanjirō said as he turned to run to the Shrine. "But, Tomioka _-san_ , will you be alright?"

"Don't worry about me, Tanjirō, I can handle Kochō _-san_ ," Giyū replied confidently, not taking his eye off of Shinobu for even a second. She was fast, and he could not afford to get distracted.

"Kanao _-chan_ , don't let that boy or the _oni_ get away," Shinobu instructed her _Tsuguko_ as the two _Hashira_ unfortunately crossed blades simultaneously, breaking _Kisatsutai_ rules in unison.

 _"Hai,_ Shinobu _-sama,"_ Kanao responded with a curt nod, unseathing her own _nichirin_ as she ran around the two _Hashira_ and towards Tanjirō as he sprinted towards the temple. "Surrender that _oni_ to me right now and I won't have to hurt you!"

"No way," Tanjirō called back, not stopping to face the girl. "I won't let you kill my little sister!"

"That _thing_ is no longer your sister," Kanao protested as she lept at Tanjirō, swinging her _nichirin_ downwards at the box. However, Tanjirō stopped, pivoting and drawing his own _nichirin_ quickly enough to catch her blade before it could slash the box. "It'll kill and eat you given the chance!"

"Nezuko _-chan_ may be an _oni_ ," Tanjirō said as he shoved her away. " _She_ wouldn't hurt anyone!"

"You're just saying that because it is... _was_...your sister," Kanao accused.

"No, I'm not, she really won't...I've seen it for myself," Tanirō replied, which surprised Kanao. All her life she had been taught that _oni_ were man-eating beasts who no longer had any humanity.

Could it...could it possibly be true? Could there actually be an _oni_...who wouldn't hurt people?

At that moment, Tanjirō took advantage of Kanao's shock and confusion to continue running into the temple. Just like Urokodaki had instructed him to do, he found where a spiral motif had been engraved into the floor and used Total Breathing Concentration as he plunged his _nichirin_ into it.

 _"Matte,"_ Kanao cried out in alarm as the spiral motif began to glow and expand outwards. Kanao ran forward as a column of light erupted right where Tanjirō was standing. She had to shield her eyes as it quickly expanded outwards, rapidly enveloping the space inside of the temple. Even the _Hashira_ ceased fighting, turning their attention to the temple just as the light simply vanished.

The _Tsuguko_ cautiously entered the temple as the design on the floor that had caused Tanjirō to disappear retracted back into the spiral motif. Confused, Kanao looked back to the two _Hashira_.

"Shinobu _-sama_...they're...they're gone," the confused _Tsuguko_ reported. "They just vanished."

"Tomioka _-san_ , what do you know about this," Shinobu asked her fellow _Hashira_ in a more formal manner, turning towards him. "I cannot help but notice that you do not seem at all surprised."

"Huh? Oh, well, that's not really important," Giyū replied with a shrug as he sheathed his sword.

"Really? Care to explain why not," Shinobu asked her fellow _Hashira_.

"Because we no longer have a reason to be here," Giyū pointed out. "Come on, let's just go."

"But...that boy...and the _oni_...we can't...we can't just let them go...can we," Kanao pointed out as she left the temple and walked back over to the _Hashira_. "We can't just let an _oni_ escape alive."

"Look, there's no telling what that light was...or where it took them," Giyū replied. "It would not be smart to try and follow them. For all we know...they might be dead...which I hope isn't the case."

"This is why nobody likes you, Tomioka _-san_ ," Shinobu sighed. "But I suppose you have a point, however, what I would like to know is just why you even allowed an _oni_ to live in the first place?"

Giyū shrugged indifferently as he began to walk off in the way they had come, Shinobu following him. However, when the _Hashira_ realized that Kanao had not moved, they turned to face the girl.

 _"Nezuko_ -chan _may be an_ oni _...but she wouldn't hurt anyone!"_

_"You're just saying that because it is...was...your sister!"_

_"No, I'm not, she really won't...I've seen it for myself,"_

The boy's words played back in her mind, and she wondered if they were true. She had to know.

"Come on, Kanao _-chan_ , let's go," Shinobu called to Kanao as she fished a certain coin out of her pocket with which she made decisions if she was not given an order. "We must return home."

 _I have to know!_ The thought...the urge...it was strong and loud in the girl's mind. _I have to know!_

But she had been given an order, which overruled any decision that she made with her coin and so Kanao sighed as she pocketed her coin and followed the _Hashira_ away from the old temple.

_But...but I...I have to know...is it true? Is...is it even...possible?_

* * *

Meanwhile...

...when Tanjirō ran into the temple, he immediately looked for the spiral motif on the floor that his _sensei_ had told him to look for. It was small, no bigger than his hand, and engraved into the floor.

Then, he used Total Concentration Breathing as he stabbed his _nichirin-tō_ downward directly into the center of the spiral motif. As he did so, a warm energy surged through his body, seeming to read his intent, flowing down his arms and into his sword before flowing from the _katana_ into the spiral motif. It glowed with vibrant energy as a new design expanded outward from the spiral.

 _"Matte,"_ Tanjirō heard the girl who moments earlier had attacked him cry, however right then he became engulfed in a column of light that swept through the temple. Tanjirō squeezes his eyes shut so as to not be blinded. The floor felt like it was moving underneath his feet, causing him to fall to his knees, however he held on tight to the hilt of his _nichirin-tō_ , not letting go of his weapon.

When the light eventually died down, he opened his eyes and saw that he was still inside an old temple deep in the forest, however it seemed...different. The smells coming from the temple and from the forest were unfamiliar. Somehow, he was no longer in the temple near Sagiri Mountain.

Glancing around the temple confirmed his suspicions, especially one wall having a dozen or so _oni_ -masks on it. Each of them had a different face and a different expression...a good amount of them looking creepy or even scary, however some of the masks looked funny or even sad.

How strange.

Wait... _oni_...

Nezuko!

Tanjirō quickly moved back from the doorway to get out of the sunlight that was filtering through the trees and streaming into the temple. Even though the surrounding forest seemed to just go on forever into the distance, Tanjirō caught the faint distant smell of a town that had to be nearby.

Just where was he?

That didn't matter right now, he needed to make sure his little sister was okay.

Once he was in a corner of the temple untouched and unseen by the sunlight, Tanjirō sat down and removed the box from his back. As he set it down on the floor, Nezuko exploded out from it and wrapped her brother in a tight hug. She was so strong that Tanjirō's bones almost popped.

For the last several months, Nezuko had been in a coma, but she had likely woken up just now.

"Thank goodness you're alright," Tanjirō remarked with a sigh of relief. "And unharmed, too."

 _Oni_ being able to heal much faster than humans didn't mean that he wasn't worried about her.

"Mmm mmph," Nezuko replied, her voice muffled behind the bamboo-muzzle that was mainly a safety precaution to prevent biting, however it also helped make her look even _more_ adorable.

Apparently Urokodaki had used hypnotic suggestion on Nezuko while she was asleep so that she would view humans as family and _oni_ as the enemy. Usually the idea of using such a thing as hypnotic suggestion on someone would be viewed as manipulative and even evil...

...however this was completely different and was done only with the best intentions in mind.

"I'm not sure where were are, but I think that there might be a village nearby," Tanjirō said as he held his little sister close to him. "Let's rest up for a little while and then go head into town."

"Mm-hmm," Nezuko agreed with a nod.


	2. The Village

After about an hour or so of resting, Tanjirō put Nezuko back into her box since she had gone to sleep again and sheathed his _nichirin-tō_ . Well, it wasn’t _technically_ his sword, since in actuality it belonged to Urokodaki. However, he had not had a _nichirin_ of his own when he had come to train at Sagiri Mountain, so his _sensei_ had provided him one for his training to become a _Kisatsutai_.

Besides, it would be during the Final Selection that he would get the ore for his very own _nichirin_.

 _Well, I_ would _have,_ Tanjirō thought, suspecting that since one of the _Hashira_ had come after him and his sister like that, he would not be welcomed into the _Kisatsutai_ ranks. Sure that girl...what was her name again...Kanao? Right, Kanao...she had said that if he surrendered Nezuko that he would not be harmed. However, since he was trying to protect his little sister, that did _not_ help.

Tanjirō slipped the straps of the box over his shoulders as he stood back up and headed out of the temple and into the forest. It was nice and beautiful, peaceful even. Tanjirō felt calm after the chase from Sagiri Mountain to the temple as well as his brief fight with Kanao before coming...

...here...wherever _here_ was. All that he knew was that, since nothing smelled familiar, it was not anywhere near Sagiri Mountain or even his hometown. As he walked further through the forest, the distant smell of a town grew closer and closer until he found himself standing before a pair of massive open gates with the word _An_ painted on each one, leading into what looked to be a city.

Being from rural Nihon, Tanjirō was not used to cities, so this was absolutely amazing to the boy.

Just beyond the gate was what looked to be a guard station. Sitting behind a table were a pair of young women who appeared to be around the same age as Giyū. From what Tanjirō could see, they both wore dark-blue long-sleeve shirts under light-green vests. One of them had very spiky dark-hair, a headband with a metal plate engraved with a stylized-leaf around his headband and a bandage that went across his nose and seemed to go around his head. Meanwhile, the other man had brown hair that covered his right eye under a bandana with the same metal plate on it.

 _“Kon’nichiwa,”_ Tanjirō greeted the city guards with a respectful bow and a kind smile. During his training with Urokodaki, he had started being able to smell emotions. From the guards he could smell anticipation and boredom along with suspicion unsurprisingly directed towards him. “I was hoping that you could help me figure out where I am. You see, I got lost wandering in the forest.”

It was not a lie, just not the complete truth, which was good enough since Tanjirō was a terrible liar. He was unable to lie with a straight face because of his honest nature. Besides, he imagined that if he explained the entire situation that it would go over their heads or they’d chase him off.

“You really don’t know about this place,” the spiky-haired gate guard asked, raising an eyebrow.

“No, _sumimasen_ ,” Tanjirō replied with a shake of his head. “I’m not really from around here.”

“Where are you from,” the bandana-wearing gate guard inquired.

“Kumotori Mountain,” Tanjirō answered. It was where his family had lived for generations.

“Kumotori Mountain? I don’t think I’ve heard of it,” the bandana-wearing gate guard said before turning to his partner. “Koketsu, what about you?”

“I can’t say that I have, Izumo,” the now-named Koketsu, the one with spiky hair, admitted.

“Looks like you’re probably a long ways from home,” the now-named Izumo, the one wearing a bandana, pointed out. Tanjirō nodded in agreement, beginning to feel worried. “Wherever you’re from...anyways...you don’t happen to have any identification on you at all, do you?”

“No, but my name is Tanjirō Kamado,” Tanjirō replied.

“I see...Kamado _-san_ ...well, I think we should probably bring you to the _Hokage_ ,” Koketsu said.

“The _Hokage_ , who is that,” Tanjirō asked, unfamiliar with the term.

“This kid really doesn’t know anything at all about the village,” Izumo remarked with a chuckle.

“The _Hokage_ is the leader of our village...Konohagakure no Sato,” Koketsu said, ignoring Izumo.

* * *

It was the spiky-haired gate guard, who was apparently named Koketsu Hagane, who escorted Tanjirō to meet the _Hokage_ , the leader of Konohagakure no Sato as he now knew the city to be called. The young _Kisatsutai_ -trainee supposed that it was called that because of the forests that surrounded the city. But calling it a village? That was probably the biggest understatement ever.

Or at least one of them. Regardless, Konohagakure was _massive_ , bigger than any town he had ever seen. It was gorgeous, too, and he wished that Nezuko could see it. However, if he brought his little sister out into the sunlight for even a moment, she would burn up almost immediately.

The thought of losing her like that made a cold shiver go up his spin and he started to feel sick.

He put his mind off of the thought by looking up at the mountain that loomed over Konoha in the west as he was escorted by Koketsu. Tanjirō had noticed it as soon as they began walking and of course asked about it, especially curious about the four faces carved into the eastern-side.

“That’s Mount _Hokage_ ,” Koketsu had explained. “It’s a monument to our village leader and each of those faces is...or was...a _Hokage_ . And a face is added whenever there is a new _Hokage_.”

“Huh...so...how are the _Hokage_ chosen,” Tanjirō had inquired. “Is it a hereditary position?”

“No, they’re chosen by the village council and approved by the _daimyō,_ ” Koketsu had said. That had surprised Tanjirō since as far as he knew the feudal era had ended over forty-years-ago. It occured to him that maybe the temple sent him backwards in time, if it weren’t for the presence of electricity, which had not come to Nihon until 1878, so he was definitely _not_ in the Feudal Era.

As they walked, Tanjirō noticed more people dressed similarly to Koketsu and Izumo, some with dark-green jackets instead of light-green and even some people who at least were wearing the same headband as them. Just what kind of place _was_ Konoha? Tanjirō also had to wonder if he had been supposed to come here at all. Was this where Urokodaki meant to send the siblings?

Anyways, eventually they came to a large building with a sign over the front door on which was the kanji for “fire.” What was that about? Whatever the case, it seemed to be their destination.

“What is this place,” Tanjirō asked Koketsu as he opened the door for him to go inside.

“The _Ninja_ Academy,” Koketsu replied, surprising Tanjirō with yet another outdated concept.

 _“Ninja,”_ Tanjirō asked, turning to Koketsu, who nodded. “I didn’t realize _ninja_ are still around.”

“What do you mean,” Koketsu asked, clearly confused by his statement.

“Well, I hadn’t thought that there had been _ninja_ for centuries,” Tanjirō clarified.

“Huh, well, I can assure you that _shinobi_ culture is very much thriving,” Koketsu replied, leading Tanjirō through the halls of the _Ninja_ Academy. He explained that this is where children trained to be _ninja_ , some starting as young as five-years-old and usually graduating around twelve. It also held the Administrative Division, which included the office of the _Hokage_ , their final destination.

Eventually they reached a door through which Tanjirō could smell tobacco smoke coming from the other side. Koketsu knocked on the door and the voice of an elderly man called for them to enter. The Konoha _-nin_ once again opened the door to allow Tanjirō to enter first before following and closing the door behind him. The office was a large, somewhat ovular-room with a desk at the far end with a stylized- _kanji_ for “shadow” on it. Behind the desk was a large window through which Tanjirō noticed one could survey the entire village. A fitting office for the leader of a village.

“Koketsu, _kon’nichiwa_ , and who is this,” asked the elderly-man in his late-sixties sitting behind the desk. He was dressed in a red-and-white hat and a white _haori_ over a red _kimono_. He had a kind expression on his face, reminding Tanjirō a little bit of his parents, Tanjūrō and Kie Kamado.

“My name is Tanjirō Kamado,” Tanjirō greeted with a respectful bow. “It’s good to meet you.”

“Likewise, Kamado _-san_ ,” the man replied with a nod. “I am Hiruzen Sarutobi, _Sandaime Hokage_ of Konoha.”

_Sandaime?_

The Third?

That took Tanjirō by surprise, especially since there were _four_ faces on the _Hokage_ Monument, not three, which of course begged the question...

...where was the _Yondaime Hokage_ ? The fourth face had looked young, not elderly like the third, so it had to be that he (or possibly she) was dead. If that was indeed the case, then Tanjirō also assumed that when the Fourth Hokage had died, that the Third Hokage was reinstated instead of a Fifth...a _Godaime Hokage_...being named.

“He walked over to Izumo and I earlier at our guard station,” Koketsu explained. “He told us his name, but he doesn’t seem to have any identification with him or know about Konoha, says he’s from some place called ‘Kumotori Mountain.’ We thought that it’d be best to bring him to you.”

The _Hokage_ nodded thoughtfully and studied Tanjirō carefully as if reading him. However, when his eyes fell upon the hilt of Tanjirō’s _nichirin-tō_ he gave a small chuckle and smiled with intrigue.

“Hmm, it appears you are a long way from home, _Kisatsutai-san,”_ the _Hokage_ noted, surprising Tanjirō. How did he know? And how much did he know? “It seems we have much to discuss.”

* * *

_ I HAVE TO KNOW!!!! _

The thought was practically screaming in Kanao’s mind and her heart was racing in her chest.

Such an earth-shattering revelation could not go unchecked. An  _ oni  _ who would not hurt people, as far as Kanao Tsuyuri knew, that was absolutely impossible. It was in their nature to hunt, kill and eat human beings. But if the redhaired boy was telling the truth...she wanted to meet it....

...no,  _ her _ , when Kanao had referred to his sister-turned- _ oni _ as “it” he had gotten very offended.

That boy...he had had this kindness she had only seen once before in Kanae _ -onē-sama _ . She too believed that  _ oni  _ were more than just monsters, but then she was killed by an  _ oni _ . On the other hand, Kanao could not help but wonder what would happen if  _ she _ were turned into an  _ oni _ ....

...would Shinobu _ -onē-sama _ spare her life and protect her at all costs?

No...not very likely...especially with that hatred of  _ oni _ that Shinobu Kochō had.

That was why she had to know...and that was why...and that was why...

Kanao stopped and sighed, taking a deep breath as she fished the coin out of her pocket.

“Is something the matter, Kanao _ -chan _ ,” Shinobu asked, turning towards her  _ Tsuguko _ .

_ Heads is ‘go after them’... _

“I have to know,” Kanao said simply as she flipped the coin up into the air. Giyū Tomioka and Shinobu watched as it came down and the young  _ Kisatsutai _ -trainee caught it in her hand.

_...and tails is ‘don’t go after them’... _

Kanao opened her clenched hand and stared down at the coin. It had landed on heads. She then gave the  _ Hashira _ an apologetic smile and bow.

_ “Sumimasen,” _ Kanao told them as she turned back. “But...I have to know...”

_ “Matte,  _ Kanao _ -chan,”  _ Shinobu said as Kanao started to run and Shinobu began to give chase, but Giyū stopped her by grabbing her around the waist. “Tomioka _ -san _ , let me go!”

“And why should I,” Giyū asked calmly.

“Kanao _ -chan _ is going back there, and she could disappear, too,” Shinobu pointed out.

“No, it’s fine, trust me,” Giyū assured Shinobu. “I’ve been through there a few times, and I think Urokodaki _ -sensei _ has been through there maybe a dozen times or so.”

Shinobu stared dumbfounded at Giyū, Earlier he had implied that he didn’t know what the temple was exactly...but now he was implying that it was some kind of...some kind of...gateway?

“Been...through?” Shinobu blinked at Giyū. “What...what do you mean...by that?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Giyū said, hoisting her up onto his back to make sure she didn’t get away.

“Hey, put me down,” Shinobu complained as Giyū, who just sighed, continued walking. “And it  _ does  _ matter! What’s on the other side of that thing? Where is it going to take Kanao _ -chan _ too!?”


	3. The Hokage

“Hmm, it appears you are a long way from home,  _ Kisatsutai-san _ , and it seems we also have much to discuss.”

Tanjirō Kamado stared in shock at the  _ Sandaime Hokage _ , surprised that the elderly man knew about the  _ Kisatsutai _ . Too many confusing thoughts were swirling around in Tanjirō’s head for him to make sense of them all. This was a  _ ninja _ village...meaning  _ ninja _ were apparently still around.

There was apparently a daimyō...but the presence of electricity placed Konoha in at least 1878.

Was time travel a thing, too? No, Tanjirō felt like that was unlikely. He had a feeling that he was in the year 1911, just like back in Nihon. Speaking of Nihon, were they still even in Nihon? He had never heard of Konoha, much less any  _ ninja _ villages existing in the present, so he was unsure.

And then apparently the  _ Hokage _ ...the leader of a  _ ninja _ village...knew about the  _ Kisatsutai _ . From what Urokodaki had told him, the  _ Kisatsutai _ were a secretive organization unknown that was not known or even recognized by a government. So why did this political official know about them?

“Have  _ Kisatsutai _ visited Konoha before,” Tanjirō eventually asked after trying to figure out a good question to ask the  _ Hokage _ . And, well, asking him that seemed as good as any he  _ could  _ ask.

“Yes,  _ ninja  _ and  _ Kisatsutai _ have crossed paths many times,” Hiruzen confirmed. “In fact, I have even met a few myself, including a good friend of mine who was a  _ Hashira _ ...Sakonji Urokodaki.”

Tanjirō’s face lit up when he heard the name of his  _ sensei _ . So he  _ had  _ meant to send him and his little sister here after all. Konoha must be the safe place that Urokodaki was  _ really _ talking about.

“You know Urokodaki _ -san _ ,” Tanjirō asked with a hint of disbelief, but Hiruzen nodded. “I’ve been training under him for the last several months to become a  _ Kisatsutai _ , before coming here...”

, a hint of disbelief in his voice, and Hiruzen nodded. “I have been training under him for the last several months to be a  _ Kisatsutai _ , before coming here.”

“Did Sakonji send you,” Hiruzen asked, and Tanjirō nodded. “What for? Did something happen?”

“Not to Urokodaki _ -san _ ..but...well, he sent me and my little sister here because we would be safe here,” Tanjirō explained, which confused Hiruzen as well as Koketsu.

“You’re sister,” Koketsu asked. “It was just you...or is she out there in the first or something?”

“No, she’s right here in this room with us,” Tanjirō replied.

“You’re carrying her around in that box you have,” Hiruzen guessed, and Tanjirō nodded. “Why?”

“Well...several months ago...before I started training with Urokodaki _ -san _ , our family was killed by an  _ oni _ ,” Tanjirō began to explain, the whole truth spilling out since the  _ Hokage _ was a friend of his  _ sensei _ and he really trusted Urokodaki. “I had gone down the mountain the day before to sell charcoal into town since my family are charcoal sellers, anyways... by the time I started heading back up, it got too dark so I stayed the night at Saburo _ -oji-chan _ ’s house. Even though I thought I would be able to make it home alright, he insisted that I stay the night since  _ oni _ are nocturnal.”

Hiruzen sighed, the aged-and-wisened  _ Hokage _ having a feeling he knew where this was going.

“The next morning I returned home to...to find everyone...dead,” Tanjirō continued, and his eyes were starting to water as he recalled those painful memories that day. “Except for Nezuko _ -chan _ , my little sister, she was just barely still alive...so I started carrying her back down the mountain to get her to a doctor...but we fell off a ledge into the snow. That was when I found out  _ oni _ exist...”

“Your little sister had been turned into an  _ oni _ ,” Hiruzen asked with concern, and Tanjirō nodded.

“But don’t worry, she won’t hurt humans, I promise on my life,” Tanjirō quickly declared before anybody could make any assumptions about his precious little sister Nezuko. “We got attacked by a  _ Kisatsutai _ named Giyū Tomioka...he was there to kill Nezuko _ -chan _ ...we fought him and we protected each other...that was enough for Tomioka _ -san _ to decide to let her live. So then he sent us to Sagiri Mountain where I started training under Urokodaki _ -san _ to become a  _ Kisatsutai _ .”

“But something happened to interfere with your  _ Kisatsutai _ -training,” Hiruzen guessed, and again Tanjirō nodded. There was a reason he was here and not at Sagiri Mountain, and that was it.

“Another  _ Kisatsutai _ who I think is about Tomioka _ -san _ ’s age and a girl about my age who I think might be a trainee and not a full _ -Kisatsutai _ came to kill Nezuko _ -chan _ ,” Tanjirō said. “Tomioka _ -san _ came and got us before they could, and Urokodaki _ -san _ told him to bring us to this old temple in the forest near Sagiri Mountain and he told me to stab a spiral motif on the floor with my sword.”

“I see, so it was a space-time  _ ninjutsu _ that brought you here,” the elderly  _ Hokage _ remarked.

“Space...time... _ ninjutsu _ ...?” That had gone over his head. Sure, he understood  _ ninjutsu _ to mean  _ ninja _ techniques...but what about space and time? He wasn’t sure how that fit into everything.

“It transports you from one place to another almost instantaneously,” Hiruzen clarified.

“Ah, okay,” Tanjirō remarked. “But, yeah, after that I made my way here.”

“That you did,” Hiruzen agreed. “Since he let her live, Sakonji clearly trusts that your sister will not harm humans, and I trust his judgement so I will as well. You both may stay in Konoha for as long as you wish, Tanjirō _ -kun _ .”

_ “Arigato-gozaimasu,” _ the  _ Kisatsutai _ -trainee exclaimed with a grateful bow. It was about then that an interesting thought occured to him. For the time being, unless Giyū or even Urokodaki came, his  _ Kisatsutai _ -training was on hold. Of course he would continue training by himself, however he also had an interesting opportunity here in Konoha.  _ Ninja _ had faded into obscurity and folklore by his time, so why not see what it would be like? “ _ Hokage-sama _ , if I may, I would like to attend the  _ Ninja _ Academy. I think it would be a valuable opportunity and it would give me something to do.”

Something to do to repay the favor of being allowed to stay in Konoha was part of the unspoken continuation of that thought, and Hiruzen understood very clearly. Not only that, but since being a  _ ninja _ seemed to be a major part of Konoha, it would be a great way to be a productive member of Konoha society and also make some new friends since he had left his hometown far behind.

“Hmm, I like your enthusiasm, of course you can,” Hiruen assured Tanjirō. “Though there  _ are _ a few admission requirements that you will have to meet first. However, there’s another matter...”

“Right, Nezuko _ -chan _ and I don’t have anywhere to stay,” Tanjirō realized and Hiruzen nodded.

“When you told me you and your sister’s story, I thought of that,” the  _ Hokage _ said as he turned to Koketsu, who was still present. “Can you please go find Naruto _ -kun _ and bring him here?”

“Naruto,” Koketsu asked with uncertainty. “Are you sure that’s wise, Hokage _ -sama _ ?”

“Who is Naruto,” Tanjirō inquired.

“He is a boy about your age who I think you and your sister will get along with well,” the  _ Hokage _ explained, and Tanjirō nodded to show that he understood. That would be pretty good for them.

“So we’re going to be staying with Naruto _ -san _ and his family,” Tanjirō asked, but Hiruzen sighed.

“That’s the thing,” the  _ Hokage _ replied. “Like with you and your sister, his family is also dead.”

Tanjirō was taken by surprise, not having expected  _ this _ turn of events, while Koketsu left to find the boy Hiruzen had told him to retrieve. Just like him and Nezuko, Naruto was also an orphan.

He couldn’t help but wonder when and how Naruto had lost his family?

And why did he have a feeling that there were more similarities that Hiruzen was not telling him?

Anyways, while they waited for Koketsu to return with Naruto, Tanjirō’s admission process to the Konoha  _ Ninja _ Academy began. Apparently there were just three requirements for admission —

  1. _Love the village and hope to help preserve peace and prosperity._
  2. _Have a mind that will not yield, able to endure hard training and work._
  3. _Be healthy in mind and body._



He was not from Konoha, but the  _ Hokage _ had accepted him and his sister, even though Nezuko was an  _ oni _ . Urokodaki had been here before and thought that it would be somewhere safe for the Kamado siblings, so why should he  _ not _ love the village and hope to help preserve peace and prosperity? He trusted his  _ sensei _ ’s judgement, just like the  _ Hokage _ . That took care of item one.

Tanjirō had great determination and would not give up once he had a goal to achieve...like finding a way to turn his sister back into a human...or even destroying the  _ oni _ who killed their family. He  _ did _ have a mind that would not yield, not only that, but he has also already been enduring hard training and work, whether it be at Kumotori Mountain back home or recently on Sagiri Mountain.

That took care of item two, which was no surprise to the  _ Sandaime Hokage _ , since he knew well of the hardships that  _ Kisatsutai _ had to go through, both in training and in their jobs as  _ Kisatsutai _ .

As for the final requirement, Tanjirō was sent to the Academy infirmary where the  _ Iryō-nin _ there would determine if he was indeed healthy in mind and body. They took checked his vitals before measuring his height and weight, then doing various medical checkups to see if he was healthy in body. Then, an  _ Iryō-nin _ named Koharu Yamanaka did a mental health examination on the boy.

Apparently, she and other members of her clan had the ability to enter someone else’s mind with a  _ ninjutsu _ called  _ Shintenshin no Jutsu _ , along with various other mind-related  _ ninjutsu _ . That made him wonder if perhaps the hypnotic suggestion Urokodaki used on Nezuko had actually been a Yamanaka clan  _ ninjutsu _ , especially since the man has been here, even befriending the  _ Hokage _ .

On a side note, Koharu mentioned to Tanjirō that she had a daughter named Ino who attended the  _ Ninja _ Academy and that if Tanjirō were to get in, the two might be in the same class together.

That was an interesting thought, but anyways, once the medical examinations were over, word was passed to the  _ Hokage _ that Tanjirō Kamado was perfectly healthy, mentally and physically, save of course some trauma he still had left over from losing his family over seven-months-ago.

With that, Tanjirō was accepted into the Konoha _Ninja_ Academy and the semester was starting in just about a week on the fourth of September. Like in Nihon, though Tanjirō did not know very much since he and his siblings had technically been homeschooled, the Academy had a three semester system: one from April to July, one from September to December, one from January to March with a Summer break, a Winter break and a Spring break in between the semesters.

* * *

When Kanao finally reached the temple, she had to take a moment to catch her breath. She had bolted as if the  _ Hashira _ were going to chase after her and try to stop her from returning here...but that had ultimately not happened, thanks to Giyū. Nonetheless, she still ran as fast as she could.

_ Maybe if I learned the Total Concentration: Constant that could help my stamina _ , Kanao thought to herself. Nonetheless, once she had caught her breath, Kanao entered the temple once again.

As she walked to the spiral motif that she had seen Tanjirō go to, she unsheathed her sword and used Total Breathing Concentration as she plunged the blade deep into the floor. A warm energy had surged through her body and flower down her arms into the sword and ultimately down into the floor as the spiral motif glowed, expanding across the floor as light consumed the  _ Tsuguko _ .

Kanao squeezed her eyes shut and even put an arm up over her face to further shield her eyes so that she would not be blinded. She had an enhanced sense of sight, so she had to protect her eyes as best as she could. When the floor felt like it was moving underneath her feet, she kept her balance, unlike Tanjirō had when he did this and ended up falling to his knees on the floor.

Anyways, when the light died down, Kanao lowered her arm and opened her eyes. She was still in a temple...but outside the forest looked different. Kanao removed her sword from the floor and sheathed it as she walked out of the temple. As she did, Kanao looked around her surroundings, which were new and unfamiliar. And also, she saw no sign of the redhaired boy carrying his box.

Wondering where the boy was, Kanao realized that he had probably already left the area. Where would he go? Unfortunately, having enhanced sight didn’t mean being able to see through trees.

Kanao sighed and started walking away from the temple, hoping to find the boy and his sister.


	4. The Uzumaki

It was not until too long that the three _Anbu_ returned along with a certain boy who Tanjirō recognized as the boy he had seen earlier on his way to meet the _Hokage_ 's office. The one who was definitely human but had a faint smell of _oni_ about him. However, now in closer proximity to him, Tanjirō could tell that the boy had a similar sent to Nezuko...a mix of _oni_ and human...but unlike her, he smelled more like a human than an _oni_.

"Hey, _oji-chan_ , what's up," the boy greeted the _Hokage_ with familiarity. "I'm not in trouble am I?"

The boy looked very out-of-place for being a Nihonjin, what with his spiky-yellow hair and his blue eyes.

Like before, he was wearing a pair of green goggles around his forehead, an orange jacket, a pair of orange pants and a pair of dark blue sandals that were unlike the ones Tanjirō was used to seeing. But anyways, if it wasn't obvious enough by his clothing choices, the kid clearly really liked the color orange. A bit too much.

"No, Naruto _-kun_ , you are not," the _Hokage_ assured the now-named Naruto as the _Anbu_ left the office.

"Oh, okay, that's good," Naruto replied with clear relief in his voice. Then, he turned to Tanjirō. "Oh, hey, it's you!"

"So you two have already," the _Hokage_ asked with surprise.

"No, but on my way here, Naruto and I _did_ cross paths...sort of," Tanjirō explained.

"From a distance," Naruto said, and Tanjirō nodded in agreement. "Anyways, I'm Naruto Uzumaki, future _Hokage_ , _-ttebayo_!"

"It's nice to meet you, Naruto, my name is Tanjirō Kamado," the Demon Slayer trainee replied. _I guess that was his clan's temple Nezuko_ -chan _and I ended up in earlier...but I wonder if he even knows about it..._

"Yeah," Naruto said, before turning his attention to the box. "Just wondering, who's in the box?"

"Wait...how did you know that...that there's someone inside the box," Tanjirō asked Naruto with surprise.

"I don't know," Naruto admitted with a shrug. "I've just...I've always had a really good sense of touch. Not many people can sneak up on me because of that, _dattebayo_..."

"Wow, that's pretty amazing," Tanjirō remarked, and Naruto nodded. "But...how did you...? It's on my back, though..."

"Yeah, it's pretty faint, though," Naruto said with a shrug. "It's harder to detect living things when something non-living is blocking the way."

"Huh, you know, I have a really sense of smell kind of like that," Tanjirō told Naruto.

"Really? Wow, that's so cool," Naruto exclaimed. "So, from how far away can you smell something?"

"Hmm, I'm not really sure, I've never tried to see how far I can smell something," Tanjirō admitted. "How about you?"

"No, me neither," Naruto said, and both boys laughed. The _Hokage_ smiled, seeing that he was correct when he said that Tanjirō and Naruto would most likely get along well together. "Anyways, who's in the box?"

"My little sister, Nezuko," Tanjirō explained.

"Oh, but...why are you carrying her around in a box," Naruto asked with confusion.

"I can tell you all the details later...but she can't be out in the sunlight," Tanjirō replied.

"Oh, I bet that really sucks," Naruto remarked.

And it really did. Tanjirō could still remember the first time he saw an _oni_ be incinerated by the sunlight and now he feared it happening to Nezuko. Sometimes he would have nightmares about her accidently going out into the sun or even falling out of the box during the daylight and being burned up before Tanjirō could act.

"Yeah, especially if we're having to travel somewhere," Tanjirō agreed.

Naruto nodded thoughtfully before turning back to face the _Hokage_ , as did Tanjirō.

"So, _oji_ -chan, why'd you bring me up here," Naruto asked the _Sandaime Hokage_.

"Well, it has to do with Tanjirō _-kun_ and his sister," the _Hokage_ replied. "They're new here to the village and have nowhere to stay, however, if you're alright with it...I thought that they could stay with you."

"Really? That'd be awesome," Naruto exclaimed.

"I'm glad that it can work out," Tanjirō said.

"Yeah, but my place isn't much," Naruto replied.

"That shouldn't be a problem," Tanjirō assured Naruto. "The house I grew up wasn't that big."

"Huh, that's cool," Naruto replied, before turning to leave. "Well, come on, let's go!"

* * *

They left the building that was apparently the _Ninja_ Academy, which was where people in Konoha learned and trained to be _ninja_ as Naruto explained. He told Tanjirō about how he was attending the Academy so he could one day become a _ninja_ himself and eventually the _Hokage_. Tanjirō had to admit, the Konoha _shinobi_ seemed pretty interesting, but it was still surprising since in Nihon the idea of ninja had faded into folklore.

Eventually they came to a building in downtown that Tanjirō at first thought was the _ninja_ trainee's house.

"Not much," Tanjirō gasped, staring up at the large building in awe. "This is...this is huge!"

"I'm guessing that you've never seen an apartment building before," Naruto asked the amazed Demon Slayer trainee who shook his head and Naruto chuckled. "Yeah, well, it's not all one house, _-ttebayo_. You'll see."

"O-okay..." Tanjirō said as he followed Naruto up a flight of stairs to the top floor. From up there, one could look out over downtown Konoha and even towards the edge of the city which was fortified by a palisade.

Tanjirō remembered hearing once that many towns in the Edo period had had pallased built around them as a means of protection. He sometimes wondered if his own hometown (or at least the town at the base of the mountain) had ever had a palisade. Probably not, since it seemed so far away from other towns in Nihon.

There was only one apartment up on the top floor that seemed to be about the same size as the house that the Kamado siblings grew up in. Anyways, Naruto unlocked the front door and then opened it. Visible from the doorway was an LDK-area, or Living-Dining-Kitchen area, as well as two other doors. The apartment, as Naruto called it, was messy but also empty. It was clear that it was occupied by a child living on their own.

"Like I said, it's not much," Naruto said with a shrug as he let Tanjirō enter before following and closing the door behind him. The LDK-area was dark, so Naruto flipped on the light switch to illuminate the room, and then the boys both took off their footwear as they entered, which was culturally customary for the Nihonjin.

The boys both took off their footwear as they entered, as was customary for the Nihonjin.

"How long have you lived here," Tanjirō asked Naruto as he set the box down.

"Since I was five," Naruto replied. "Before that I lived with the Hyūga clan."

"The Hyūga clan," Tanjirō asked, unfamiliar with that clan. "How come you're not still living with them."

"Well, Hitomi _-oba-san_ and Hiashi _-oji-san_ are really good friends with _Kā-san_ and _Tō-san_...or at least they _were_ ," Naruto said sadly, sitting down on the futon and Tanjirō sat down next to him. " _Tō-san_ died the day I was born and _Kā-san_ died when I was only three. I don't remember much, but I think she was really sick or something. Whatever it was, that's also why we lived with the Hyūga, I think...so _Kā-san_ could get better."

The boy's eyes were watering up with tears as he recalled his painful past. Tanjirō felt empathy for him since he and his sister had just lost their family several months ago. However, he wondered if Naruto had probably had it worse than them. Sure, it was not as recent, but it was when he was really little and it had led to him living most of his life alone. On the other hand, speaking of Nezuko, it was fortunate that the only window in the LDK-area was covered with a window shade since she had decided right then to emerge from her box and come sit with them, sitting in between them since there was a Nezuko-sized space in between the boys.

 _Oni_ could change their size, however at the moment, Nezuko was at her regular size. Or at least, the regular size she _would_ have been if she had never been turned into an _oni_. Or at least what she thought that it would have been. Regardless, Nezuko was several centimeters taller than Naruto and several shorter than Tanjirō.

"Hmm, mm-mmm mmm," the young _oni_ said through her bamboo muzzle as she wrapped Naruto in a hug, surprising the boy. The way he reacted was with uncertainty...as if he had never been hugged before...or at least not in a very long time. Maybe not since he was five-years-old, that was what Tanjirō guessed anyway.

"Nezu...ko..." Naruto said, the tears starting to spill down his cheeks as he smiled gratefully at the girl.

"Mm-hmm," Nezuko replied, smiling sweetly at the Uzumaki and giving him an affectionate headpat.

"Naruto...how come...how come you stopped...living with the Hyūga clan," Tanjirō inquired cautiously, not wanting his and Nezuko's friend to become further upset or anything. Naruto sighed and looked at the floor.

Since Nezuko was sitting to Naruto's left, she warmly took his left hand in her right to comfort the Uzumaki.

"Well...after _Kā-san_ died...I just...I just felt really lonely," Naruto explained as he wiped away the tears with his sleeve. "I mean...I know _Oba-san_ and _Oji-san_ still cared for me...but...it just...I felt like I didn't belong."

"I'm sorry you had to go through that, Naruto," Tanjirō said. "Before coming here to Konoha, Nezuko-chan and I lost our entire family...our three little brothers...our little sister Hanako _-chan_...and even our mother."

Nezuko looked to her older brother, taking his right hand in her left as she had just done for Naruto a bit ago.

"What happened," Naruto asked the elder Kamado.

"They were attacked...and killed...by an _oni_ ," Tanjirō replied.

"An _oni_ ," Naruto repeated, and Tanjirō. "I thought that those only existed in stories."

"So did I before what happened six months," the elder Kamado agreed with sigh.

"Did something happen to Nezuko in the attack and that's why she has to wear that bamboo-thingy?"

Before Tanjirō could reply, the younger Kamado let go of Naruto and Tanjirō's hands before reaching up to remove the bamboo muzzle from her mouth. Then, she smiled at Naruto, showing off her elongated-canines.

 _"Nani?"_ Naruto leaned back for a second, blinking in surprise before leaning closer. _"Matte, dattebayo_...are you...are you an _oni_ , Nezuko _?"_

The girl nodded before returning the bamboo muzzle to her mouth, concealing her elongated-upper canines.

"You're cute for an _oni, -ttebayo_ ," Naruto remarked, making the girl blush before turning to Tanjirō. "So...is that why she can't be in the sunlight?"

"Yeah...it burns them...and I've seen it firsthand," Tanjirō replied, Nezuko shuddering at the thought.

"That doesn't sound like a good way to go at all," Naruto remarked, and Tanjirō nodded in agreement. Then he got up. "Well, I should probably go make sure the other windows in my apartment are covered up."

"That's a good idea, thank you," Tanjirō told Naruto as he headed off before turning to Nezuko. "So, what do you think, Nezuko _-chan_?"

"Mm! Mmm, mmm mmm, mmm," Nezuko exclaimed happily, and Tanjieō smiled, patting his sister's head.

"I'm glad you think so," Tanjirō replied. "I'm liking it here, too."

 _Though, I wonder, why does he have a similar scent as Nezuko_ -chan _...?_


	5. The Training

Over the course of the next week, the Kamado siblings settled into their new life in Konoha and Tanjirō did his best to prepare for his first day at the Academy, including the siblings and Naruto getting to know each other better. Tanjirō told Naruto about where he and Nezuko was from, their past, what led to them coming to Konoha as well as a conversation about _oni_ and the _Kisatsutai_.

However, there _were_ a couple things about it that were confusing the young _shinobi_ -trainee...

...if Nezuko was an _oni_ and _Kisatsutai_ were supposed to kill _oni_ , why did Tanjirō want to be one?

"My sister isn't anything like other _oni_ ," Tanjirō had clarified upon being asked. "Most _oni_ have to eat humans to get energy, but Nezuko _-chan_ doesn't, all she needs to do is sleep. But other _oni_ , like the one who killed my family and turned my little sister into an _oni_ , they have to be stopped."

"That makes sense, I guess, but I wonder if there are other good _oni_ as well," Naruto had said.

"Probably, I mean, they _were_ all human once," Tanjirō had agreed. "Nezuko _-chan_ is the only _oni_ I know of who won't hurt anybody. It's my goal to figure out how to turn her back into a human."

On the other hand, this had also clarified the _other_ confusion that Naruto had had, this confusion pertaining to how Nezuko got sustenance. Speaking of sustaining oneself, however, there was a food problem at the Uzumaki-Kamado residence, and apparently some of the only food that the stores in Konoha would allow Naruto to buy, were simple things such as ramen, bread and milk.

Based on what the young Uzumaki orphan had told Tanjirō and what the eldest Kamado survivor had had the misfortune to see firsthand, for some reason most of the villagers hated Naruto, and Tanjirō could not help but wonder if it had something to do with the scent of _oni_ lingering on him.

Well, not the scent directly, since as far as he knew, having a strong sense of smell was rare.

_"...just because of something that's completely out of her control."_

That had been what Tanjirō had told Hiruzen regarding the events that had led to him and his little sister coming to Konoha. Wondering why the majority of Konoha despised Naruto made Tanjirō wonder if there was something out of Naruto's control that those villagers ostracized him for...

...maybe something to do with that night on which Naruto had been born and his father had died.

Regardless, though Naruto protested that it wasn't necessary, Tanjirō decided to personally take care of the food situation. Besides, he was accustomed to helping out as much as possible, his family and even the townsfolk down the mountain having very much relied on the elder Kamado.

And he was really happy to help others, Tanjirō was just that kind of person, Naruto appreciating whether or not he would admit it. Anyways, he started eating better than he had in several years.

In turn, Naruto told the Kamado siblings all about Konoha, as well as his own past and even the Academy, which was especially helpful since Tanjirō would soon be starting at the Academy. On that note, Tanjirō had a lot to do in preparation for attending the Academy. He would be joining a class who had already been attending for over six years, almost seven, so Tanjirō had quite a lot of catch up to do as he didn't want to be _too_ far behind his future-classmates when he started.

Even though he only had about a week to do so, fortunately Tanjirō could be a pretty fast learner.

At the Academy, there were two cores that comprised the school's curriculum — a general core and, of course, a ninja core. The former consisted of lessons in subjects like reading, writing, mathematics, science, geography and history but in a _ninja_ -context. That core was probably the easiest for Tanjirō to catch up with since he could already read and write, he at least knew basic mathematics if not some more advanced math, but the last three general subjects were tricky.

Geography and history were tricky because he was not used to that of Hinokuni, which was the apparent name of the country that Konoha was in, but as for science...well, he had _some_ basic scientific understanding, it was hard to be alive and not to even if just indirectly. Regardless, the textbooks from the Academy that Naruto had were useful for helping him in the difficult areas.

Meanwhile, the latter core consisted of lessons in the five major categories of _ninja_ skills, being _taijutsu, bukijutsu, ninjutsu, genjutsu_ and _fuinjutsu_. When it came to the _ninja_ core, Nezuko was interested in learning as well. Not only did she have an interest in learning them, but her brother also _wanted_ her to learn so that she could become much stronger and be able to defend herself better in case he happened to not be there to help her or if he was in a fight at the same time.

Despite having seen her hold her own in a fight in a fight just several months ago against that _oni_ they ran into at the temple on the way to Sagiri Mountain, he was still very protective of her...

...it was partly that Tanjirō felt if he had gotten home sooner, that his family would still be alive.

Or perhaps he would have only been added to the body count.

Anyways, because Nezuko was training with Naruto and Tanjirō, they had to train either at night or in the Academy's indoor training hall since it fortunately had no windows. However, the latter was risky since other Academy students still used it as well, even during their summer break.

Though Naruto helped the Kamado siblings learn the various _ninja_ skills as he best as he could, he was admittedly not the best at passing knowledge onto others since he was also admittedly not a very good student either, usually feeling bored in class and even sometimes falling asleep in class or just staring off into space, generally not paying attention sometimes. However, Tanjirō wondered if his lack of motivation was related to him being alone and most villagers hating him.

He and his five siblings were very industrious, always helping their mother or even each other when needed, and this was thanks in part to their parents Tanjūrō and Kie for establishing such a positive environment at home. And possibly also being able to grow up in the Nihon countryside.

Being out in nature as much as possible could do wonders for the mind, body, heart and spirit.

Anyways, Tanjirō could imagine that living alone or even in a very negative environment at home could sap a child's motivation. Nobody being there to praise accomplishments or acknowledge efforts and skills while growing up...be it because of no parents or even bad parents...that could definitely negatively impact a child's development. Sure, there were times in which the Uzumaki would annoy Tanjirō, however other than that Naruto was a good person. And Nezuko liked him.

That aside, over the next several days until the fourth of September, Naruto helped the Kamado siblings learn the five major categories of _ninja_ skills as best he could. The easiest to learn of the five categories were _taijutsu_ and _bukijutsu_. While neither of them had been specifically trained in hand-to-hand combat, they were both pretty strong (Nezuko of course being _much_ stronger than her brother) and could hold their own in a fight, not to mention that Tanjirō _had_ been training as a swordsman under Urkokodaki before coming to Konoha. Even though _shuriken_ and _kunai_ were pretty much a different matter, Tanjirō and Nezuko were both able to pick up the skill pretty well.

However, the other three...one of which Naruto was admittedly terrible at...were very difficult.

Why?

Because of _chakra_.

" _Chakra_ , what is that," Tanjirō had asked when Naruto brought up the unfamiliar concept.

"Well...it's, um...hmmm." Naruto had seemed unsure to begin, making Tanjirō wonder if _chakra_ was common knowledge here, so much so that some just couldn't really explain it, which was of course completely understandable. "...it's kinda like this energy or whatever that everyone has in them and it's used for _jutsu_. I'm sorry, that's just the best way I can think of to explain it..."

"No, that's fine," Tanjirō had assured him. "But, that concept _does_ sound familiar, like _ki_..."

"What's _ki_?" Then it had been Naruto's turn to be confused by a new concept.

"It's a circulating life force in all living things," Tanjirō had replied.

"Oh, yeah, that sounds about right," Naruto had remarked, scratching the back of his head.

Tanjirō had been unsure if he or even Nezuko was capable of using _chakra_ , or if they even had it in the first place, which not having would be absolutely terrifying and confusing since every living thing required a life force. Anyways, they fortunately figured out that they could _use_ chakra. With clearing that up out of the way, there were four basic _jutsu_ that Academy students had to learn...

...the _Nawanuke no Jutsu_ , which enabled the user, if tied-up, to get themselves free.

...the _Kawarimi no Jutsu_ , which enabled the user to substitute with an object to avoid being hit.

...the _Henge no Jutsu_ , which enabled the user to transform into person, animal, plant or object.

...the _Bunshin no Jutsu_ , which enabled the user to produce intangible duplicates of themself.

There was also another basic technique learned at the _Ninja_ Academy that was a _chakra_ control exercise, being the Leaf Concentration Practice. Tanjirō found this rather easy to do since it was very similar to some of the breathing exercises that he had learned for his _Kisatsutai_ techniques which focused on concentration and breathing...hence the name Total Concentration Breathing.

Nezuko did pretty alright with the Leaf Concentration Practice, however similarly to Naruto when he would try it, the exercise _was_ frustrating for her. One time she somehow set her leaf on fire.

As for the actually _ninjutsu_ that they had to learn, Tanjirō and Nezuko both struggled at first since they were not really accustomed to using _chakra_ yet outside of the Leaf Concentration Practice, which Tanjirō had decided that he and Nezuko should learn first to build a base for learning _jutsu_.

The handsigns were definitely difficult to learn at first, Naruto admitting that he sometimes had a difficult time remembering them all. Regardless, they got a hang of the basic _jutsu_ soon enough.

First there was the _Nawanuke no Jutsu_ , of which there were a couple of methods to using it, the more basic method being to find a way to untie the knots or even by dislocating joints get free of the beindings and the more advanced way being to surge _chakra_ into the bindings, thus forcing them to come undone. Nezuko had an easier time with it, being more flexible than her brother.

Then there was the _Kawairimi no Jutsu_ , which was a more advanced form of the _Nawanuke no Jutsu_ as it required swift reflexes, which admittedly made Tanjirō a bit nervous using the _jutsu_.

Third was the _Henge no Jutsu_ , which Naruto had a self-ascribed "hilarious version" of that both of the Kamado siblings agreed was terrible, Tanjirō finding it quite rude and unsettling while it was disliked for other reasons...potentially relating to her developing feelings for the Uzumaki orphan.

And finally there was the _Bunshin no Jutsu_ , which Naruto admittedly had the most difficulty with for unknown reasons, somehow only being able to make one _bunshin_ that appeared as if it were very ill or even dead. Tanjirō wondered if maybe Naruto's struggle with the _Bunshin no Jutsu_ had something to do with his poor _chakra_ control, and so he began helping Naruto to perfect both.

Soon enough, the fourth of September rolled around and it was time for Tanjirō to begin attending the Konoha _Ninja_ Academy, which Naruto was excited about since he would have a new friend at school. On the other hand, Nezuko being an _oni_ and being unable to be in sunlight made it too risky to enroll her into the Academy, but Tanjirō could bring the box so she could still be there.

* * *

Elsewhere in the village on the fourth of September, a certain someone would also be starting at the Konoha _Ninja_ Academy. Even though it had been difficult to convince the _Hokage_ to let them stay in the village, they were here now and there was no going back. They had something to do.

This person was of course the _Tsuguko_ known as Kanao Tsuyuri who had come to find Tanjirō Kamado and ask him about his sister, maybe even meet her if she could. However, for the time being, Kanao had been staying with a _jōnin_ named Kurenai Yūhi since coming here a week ago.

The _Tsuguko_ enjoyed Kurenai's company, the _kunoichi_ reminding her a lot of her adoptive elder sisters Kanae and Shinobu Kochō. Before coming to Konoha, Kanao had only met a few _ninja_ , being of course the _Oto Hashira_ Tengen Uzui and his three wives Makio, Suma and Hinatsuru.

But now she had an opportunity to become one herself, and like Tanjirō she didn't mind taking it.

The urge to take it came during her first few hours in Konoha, just like earlier that first day when she had had the urge to go after Tanjirō to find out if he was really telling the truth about his sister or not. Of course, she had taken out her coin and used it to decide if she should follow this urge.

Heads was 'don't take the opportunity'...and tails was 'take the opportunity.'

Kanao liked to mix it up sometimes when it came to which side of the coin was essentially 'yes' and which side of the coin was essentially 'no.' Regardless, when she flipped the coin, it landed on tails and so Kanao enrolled into the Konoha _Ninja_ Academy and was placed into Class 201.

That particular morning, Kurenai had made breakfast for them both, before having to head off on a mission, but she wished Kanao luck before going. Like Naruto had done for Tanjirō, Kurenai had helped prepare the young girl for the Academy, though she had probably done a better job.

After she finished getting ready, Kanao headed out, making her way to the western end of town where _Ninja_ Academy was. She was one of the first to arrive, along with a few others including a dark-haired boy who looked like a downgraded-version of Giyū Tomioka. There was another girl who had also come early, a dark-haired girl with beautiful lavender eyes without pupils. She was sitting in the row second-closest to the back on the right side from the perspective of the front.

Actually, it was a girl Kanao recognized since Kurenai had introduced them to each other before.

"Hinata _-san_ , _kon'nichiwa_ ," Kanao greeted as she walked over to the girl. "May I sit with you?"

The girl, Hinata Hyūga, was a _Tsuguko_ of sorts to Kurenai, the _genjutsu_ -specialist training her as Hinata's family had given up on the girl. It reminded Kanao of her own past, and the girls bonded over having somewhat-similar experiences. Forgotten girls who were saved by caring women.

"Of course, Kanao _-san_ ," Hinata replied, smiling warmly at her new friend.

 _"Arigato,"_ Kanao said as she sat down next to her new friend. She was happy that she already had a friend here at the Academy before starting, since it would make things more comfortable.

Anyways, soon enough, other students began to arrive...including the redhaired boy with a box.


	6. The Academy

On a certain sunny and warm day in early-September, students were returning for class at the Konoha _Ninja_ Academy, the summer break now over. And on this particular day, a certain new student was joining Class 201, Tanjirō Kamado. Although Tanjirō was a _Kisatsutai_ by training, he would now become a _ninja_ as well, which was actually not unheard of amongst the _Kisatsutai_ as unknown to him, _Oto Hashira_ Tengen Uzui and his three wives were both _Kisatsutai_ and _ninja_.

For the last week, the Kamado siblings have been living with a boy named Naruto Uzumaki who was about the same age as Nezuko Kamado and was already enrolled in the Academy himself, particularly being in the same class that Tanjirō was placed in. The Uzumaki boy had also been helping Naruto catch up to where their class was so that Tanjirō wouldn't be too far behind them.

Even though he had only had several days, Tanjirō was fortunately a quick learner, having been caught up by both Naruto as well as the Academy textbooks that the Uzumaki boy had but he'd often not look at. Tanjirō really appreciated his placement in Class 201, especially since he now already knew one of his classmates, and since Tanjirō and Naruto got along really well, the pair of boys bonding over their similar past experiences of losing their families, among other things.

Meanwhile, Nezuko quite enjoyed this placement since she really enjoyed being around Naruto, even after only knowing for a week so far, and would get to be around him while at the Academy despite having to be in her box for most of the time. Tanjirō could tell that Naruto also really liked being around his little sister in return, and he knew just why they liked being around each other...

...however, the last thing he wanted to do was embarrass Naruto and Nezuko by pointing it out to them. Besides, certain things were better with time and people figuring it out for themselves.

Anyways, on this particular day in early September, Naruto and the Kamado siblings woke up, ate breakfast character (or Naruto and Tanjirō ate, since Nezuko only needed to sleep to regain energy), got dressed and gathered what they needed for the Academy before of course placing Nezuko in her _kumokiri_ box and then finally leaving and making their way to the _Ninja_ Academy.

It was a rather beautiful day in Konoha, the weather being warm and sunny, something that only eight-months-ago Nezuko would have been able to enjoy, but unfortunately the sunlight was now a death sentence for the girl. Tanjirō and Naruto took note of that on their walk to the Academy.

Sometimes it could be pretty difficult to enjoy something when it was deadly to someone close.

* * *

The walk to the Academy was only about fifteen minutes at most, the Konoha _Ninja_ Educational and Administrative Complex being right at the western end of downtown, nestled at the base of Mount _Hokage_. The monument had been something that Naruto had made a big deal informing Tanjirō and Nezuko about since it was his goal to become _Hokage_. Carved into the eastern face of the mountain were effigies of the _Hokage_ , who were the greatest and strongest Konoha _ninja_.

There was the _Shodaime Hokage_ , Hashirama Senju, who had helped to establish the village.

There was the _Nidaime Hokage_ , Tobirama Senju, who established the Konoha _Ninja_ Academy.

There was the _Sandaime Hokage_ , Hiruzen Sarutobi, who was the longest-reigning of them all.

And then there was the _Yondaime Hokage_ , Minato Namikaze, who was Naruto's personal hero, however he had died almost twelve-years-ago to defeat the monstrous _Kyūbi no Kitsune_.

 _Kitsune_...fox...the whiskers of which the birthmarks on Naruto's cheeks appeared to resemble...

...or maybe Tanjirō was just overthinking things.

Regardless, soon enough the boys and Nezuko (though she was of course in her box) arrived at the Academy. There they were joined by others heading to class as well now that the summer break had concluded. Tanjirō noticed that among the other children who they saw was a range of ages from around his age at eleven-years-old to as young as maybe six or even five-years-old.

They went in and Tanjirō followed Naruto up to the second floor where they entered Room 201.

Tanjirō was not really sure what to expect upon entering the Educational Wing of the Academy, especially with school in session, since he has never actually been to school before. He and his siblings had never really needed to, having learned what they needed to know from their parents as well as others and the world around them. Besides, school was usually for those with money.

Well, just like with the sheer size of Konoha, the _Ninja_ Academy was a little overwhelming.

Anyways, the room that the boys entered was large and had a high-ceiling with a chalkboard on the far wall from the door through which they had entered, in front of which was a podium placed far from several tables that were in four rows of three tables each coming from down in the front to up in the back where Naruto, Tanjirō and many of their other classmates as well entered from.

There were already at least a dozen other students there when they arrived, such as a boy who looked like a downgraded-version of Giyū Tomioka sitting in the middle table of the row that was second from the front. Tanjirō noticed Naruto shoot a glare at downgraded-Tomioka and guessed that Naruto most likely did not at all get along with this other boy who was likely Sasuke Uchiha.

Sasuke was an Academy student who according to Naruto was very stuck-up and coldhearted.

 _"Ohayo-gozaimasu_ , Naruto _-kun,"_ a voice called out to the Uzumaki from one of the tables in the second row from the back. Sitting there were two girls, one of whom Tanjirō vaguely recognized from several days ago before coming to Konoha, and that thought made him feel uncomfortable.

If he remembered correctly, she was the girl who the _Moshi Hashira_ had addressed as "Kanao" and attacked him, demanding that Tanjirō surrender his sister to her. What was she doing here?

The girl who spoke had short dark-blue hair and pupiless-lavender eyes that made her appear to be blind, however Tanjirō knew that she could see since Naruto had told him before about his old clan and their special eyes. She was most likely Hinata Hyūga and wore a cream-colored jacket over a black shirt, a pair of dark-blue pants and dark-blue sandals that showed off the girl's feet.

On that note, most people in Konoha wore sandals that showed off their feet for some reason.

Anyways, the girl whom Tanjirō recognized had gentle lilac-colored eyes and black hair that was pulled back in a ponytail fastened with a pink-and-green butterfly ornament. She wore a shirt and knee-length pleated skirt that were both tinted purple under a short white cloak that was fastened by a dark-pink triple knot at one side, along with a pair of knee-high lace-up white boots with tan soles, heels and toes. Finally, she had a white-and-pink hilted- _nichirin_ sheathed at her left side.

Hinata smiled warmly at the boys while the other looked at Tanjirō before quickly looking away.

"Oh, who's your new friend," Hinata asked as she noticed the Kamado boy next to Naruto.

 _"Ohayo,_ Hinata," Naruto replied. "This is Tanjirō, he and his sister moved here a week ago."

"It's nice to meet you," Tanjirō greeted with a respectful bow to the two girls.

"It's nice to meet you, too," Hinata said with only a partial-bow since she was sitting down. "My name is Hinata Hyūga, and this is my friend Kanao Tsuyuri, she also moved here a week ago."

 _"Kon'nichiwa,"_ Kanao greeted Tanjirō as she turned to face him, giving a partial-bow just like her friend had. She smelled and looked nervous and Tanjirō was taken aback, realizing that he was not the only one nervous about this meeting. Kanao forced a smile and looked Tanjirō in the eye.

"Naruto _-san_ mentioned you had a sister...will...will she be joining the class as well, Tanjirō _-san_?"

"No, but I wish that she could," Tanjirō explained despite Nezuko actually being in the box that he was carrying on his back and Kanao knew it. "She wanted to...but...she has a...health condition."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," Kanao remarked with a sigh, and Tanjirō sensed that she was being sincere, which made him feel more comfortable. "It would have been really nice to have another girl in the class...unlike Hinata _-san_...the others are...not very approachable or friendly, either..."

"Most of the girls in the class are infatuated with Uchiha _-san_ ," Hinata added, referring to the girls who were all staring at Sasuke with figurative-hearts in their eyes, including the pink-haired one.

"I'd imagine so," Tanjirō agreed, glancing towards Sasuke and the girls who surrounded him. The smell coming from the Uchiha was that of frustration, impatience, irritation and for some reason tomatoes. He turned back to the two girls and bowed again. "Well, it was nice to meet you two."

Naruto and Tanjirō went to sit at the table in front of Hinata and Kanao, Tanjirō placing the box at his feet, his little sister contained within. Since there was not enough room to put the box _directly_ at his feet and thus allow for a third person to sit at the table with them like with the other tables, Tanjirō instead placed the box down on the floor between him and Naruto, the boys and the desk providing maximum shade from the windows in the room if Nezuko wanted to peek out from her box or if one of them wanted to check on her without drawing too much attention to themselves.

* * *

Eventually more students arrived, the class ultimately filling out at about thirty students in total.

Then came a young man who looked to be about the same age as Giyū. He was tanned with a scar going across the bridge of his nose and his short dark-hair pulled up in a small ponytail at the back of his head. He wore a green vest over a long-sleeved dark-blue shirt, dark-blue pants, dark-blue sandals that showed off his feet and a Konoha _ninja_ headband (or rather a _hitai-ate_ ).

That was an accessory that Tanjirō had become accustomed to seeing around the village as all Konoha _-nin_ wore one. In fact, Naruto emulated wearing a _hitai-ate_ with a pair of green goggles.

Anyways, it was when this man entered the classroom that everyone settled and sat down. He was certainly Iruka Umino, whom Naruto had also mentioned before, the _sensei_ of Class 201.

 _"Ohayo gozaimasu, mina,"_ Iruka greeted his students.

 _"Ohayo-gozaimasu,_ Iruka _-sensei,"_ many of the students chorused in reply.

"I hope that you all had a wonderful summer break," Iruka continued, before turning his attention to the left side of the room. "And I hope you are all ready for this new semester. However, before we begin, there are two new students joining us today...Tanjirō Kamado and Kanao Tsuyuri."

As he addressed them, the two _Kisatsutai_ -trainees stood up and they bowed respectfully to their new _sense_ before turning and then bowing respectfully to their new classmates. Tanjirō noticed a couple of the girls in the class giving Kanao calculating looks, as if sizing her up or something.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," Tanjirō told the class while Kanao simply nodded in agreement.

 _"Hai,"_ Iruka agreed. "I'm happy to new students in my class. I hope you enjoy your time here."

 _"Arigato-gozaimasu,"_ Tanjirō and Kanao replied as they turned their attention back to Iruka. They then each sat back down, and with that, the day...and thus the semester as well...got underway.

Iruka then started by saying how he knew that most of his students were planning on taking the graduation exam at the end of the semester, thus it would be a major focus for the semester. At the end of each semester, as Naruto had previously explained to Tanjirō, Academy students had an opportunity to take the graduation exam. If one was twelve-years-old or older, a student could take it without a recommendation, but they had to have one if they were younger than twelve.

This was because of the Third Shinobi World War, from what Tanjirō had gathered, which ended about thirteen-years-ago and it had been between several _shinobi_ villages including Konoha. The village had lost many children during the war, the majority of them fighting for Konoha in the war, so the _Yondaime_ passed a law that forbade children younger than twelve from becoming _ninja_...

...unless they were of course proven to be ready and were recommended to take the exam. And despite being only eleven-years-old, Naruto took the graduation exam the last two semesters in a row, Iruka having recommended the Uzumaki both times because of his fiery-determination...

...however, Naruto had failed both times he attempted the exam.

Regardless, the Uzumaki was certain that this time he would be ready, and he would not have to get Iruka to recommend him this time since he would be twelve by the end of the semester. The class had many students who were already twelve, but there were some who were still eleven.

Tanjirō had a good feeling that the next few months would be pretty interesting...


	7. The Secret

Everything was dark in the room except for the early morning light seeping through the shades and the piercing eyes of an _oni_ seemed to shine in the darkness as it watched its prey. It was a boy who was about eleven-years-old, almost twelve, and he was sleeping so peacefully that the _oni_ felt bad about having to disturb the child's slumber in this way. However, this had to be done.

The _oni_ reached out a hand, its fingernails lengthened as if they were claws, a signature _oni_ trait.

It clasped the boy's shoulder, about to dig in its claw-like fingernails into his flesh, but then...

"Mmph!"

Nezuko Kamado, half-leaning against Naruto Uzumaki's bed, gently shook the boy's shoulder to wake him up. Usually he managed to get up on time, but there were those days were he slept in a little later than he should have, and the girlhad decided to take it upon herself to wake him up.

"Mmph...mmm-hmm," Nezuko exclaimed through her bamboo-muzzle as she gently shook the sleeping-Uzumaki a second time, but a little harder. Naruto groaned in response as he started to stir and Nezuko smiled, standing up as the Uzumaki opened his eyes and sat up. "Hmmn-mm!"

 _"Ohayo,"_ Naruto greeted the younger Kamado, smiling kindly at her. "Thanks for waking me up."

"Mm-hmm," Nezuko replied with a nod. Because Naruto had an enhanced sense of touch, one could not be sure if he had woken up by her gentle shaking or her simply touching his shoulder.

This room no longer belonged to just Naruto, which was fine, since several weeks ago Nezuko and her elder brother Tanjirō had moved in with the Uzumaki. The room had been resituated now to where there were two twin-sized beds on either side and the dresser moved next to the door.

When at least Tanjirō was not out and about, the box that Nezuko would be carried around in sat between the two beds up against the wall where the head of the beds were. And that was where Nezuko would sleep. But probably the most important change was to the bedroom window, as it was now always covered since Nezuko was an _oni_ and would incinerate if touched by sunlight.

Naruto got out of bed a few moments later and Nezuko left the room so that he could change out of his pajamas and into some regular clothes. Just because she was starting to _like_ him, didn't...

...nevermind, it should be understandable. Anyways, after he had changed, Naruto also left and entered the LDK-area to find that Tanjirō had already made breakfast. The elder Kamado sibling was pretty good at cooking, having learned from his mother Kie. Anyways, this morning he had made _natto_ rice — _natto_ served over steamed rice — which was a high protein breakfast staple.

Eating healthier and a more variety of foods was another important change, Tanjirō not letting his new best friend nutritionally-harm himself any longer, which Naruto was really grateful for. Even though he loved ramen so much and it _had_ been hard before to get better food, he was aware of the negative consequences that eating ramen for almost every single meal had on his body...

...one of those being that he was very short, standing at just over one-hundred-forty centimeters, which was several-centimeters-shorter than Nezuko when she stood at her current full-height.

Other than that, the apartment was not as messy if at all anymore, Naruto pitching in so that his two new friends did not have to do all of the work by themselves. Then there was his academic success, which had been dismal prior to meeting the Kamado siblings, Naruto always being at or at least near the very bottom of his class, Naruto having had not much motivation to succeed.

Well, he _did_ have motivation to succeed, Tanjirō had been pretty much correct about Naruto.

While their teacher Iruka Umino was a kind person, he was also stern and would frequently nag at the Uzumaki. This and at least several of the other students picking on him just like the adults sapped his motivation for doing good in school. Instead, Naruto would usually rather goof off, pull a prank, stare off into space or even take a nap (similarly to another one of their classmates).

However, Tanjirō helped to reverse this course. He was kinder and much more patient than their _chūnin-sensei_ , however like Iruka, he was not at all a pushover. Soon enough, the Uzumaki was no longer a terrible student since his grades and motivation to succeed began greatly improving.

* * *

After eating breakfast and washing up (primarily face, hands and teeth of course), the two boys gathered everything they would need for the day, which of course included putting Nezuko in her box, before heading out to the Academy. Nezuko enjoyed going to the Academy with Tanjirō and Naruto, even if she was just inside her box most of the time, safe from prying eyes and the sun.

However, during their lunch break, Tanjirō and Naruto would go eat in an unused room that very fortunately happened to have no windows so that Nezuko could have a chance to get out of her box each day, even if it was just for a little while, which the younger Kamado greatly appreciated.

Meanwhile, Nezuko would do her best to try and stay awake as long as she could also learn as much as possible along with her brother and Naruto, since even though Nezuko was an _oni_ now she still wanted to learn new things. However, it was difficult, especially since the lectures could get pretty boring, and sleep was very appealing to her since that was how she got her energy.

On the social side of things, while her brother and Naruto were great friends, Tanjirō Kamado _did_ make other friends besides him, among the first being Hinata Hyūga. She was a very kind and caring individual, much like himself, however she had self-doubt issues because of the way that her clan treated her. On a side note, she was like a cousin or even a sister to Naruto, stemming from when he used to live with the Hyūga clan seven-years-ago and continuing into the present.

As for Kanao Tsuyuri, Tanjirō was unsure about her. She was quiet and seemed to be indecisive, often being seen using a coin prior to doing something, unless it was something that she'd been instructed to do. Some of the other students would teaser her by calling her _"Koin-san"_ because of how frequently she would use the coin, and they would even try (and fail) to steal it from her.

The reason Tanjirō was unsure about her was because of what happened several-weeks-ago at Sagiri Mountain. He did not need to wonder _how_ she was here since as far as he knew only one way existed to come to Konoha from Nihon, but insteadTanjirō wondered _why_ Kanao was here.

Did he need to worry about that other _Hashira_ who Kanao had been with being here as well?

For the time being he had not yet crossed paths with that _Hashira_ , nor had Tanjirō crossed paths with Kanao outside of the Academy. However, at some point he'd have to confront and ask her.

On the other hand, through Naruto, Tanjirō had also befriended Chōji Akimichi, Kiba Inuzuka and Shikamaru Nara. The Akimichi and the Nara were both clan heirs and very close friends. Chōji was a very kind, polite and caring person who really enjoyed eating, however that was because the _jutsu_ his clan were known to use consumed a lot of _chakra_ and furthermore a lot of energy.

Shikamaru, meanwhile, was a rather lazy and incredibly intelligent boy, the latter of which made him apparently get bored quite easily and prefer to frequently nap. Tanjirō guessed that the Nara clan heir would probably be jealous of Nezuko being able to get energy from simply sleeping. Or he would just remark with "troublesome" or "what a drag" as he usually did to most things in life.

Speaking of Nezuko, it was only a few weeks into the semester that the Secret was found out. It had not gone unnoticed by Tanjirō that a good amount of his classmates were curious about just what was contained within his box. While he _did_ keep his school things in there for convenience, its primary function of course was the safe transportation of his little sister. He suspected that at least some of them had a suspicion that there was more in the box than just things for school...

...especially since the box was just much too big for just that.

Anyways it was on the second of October that it happened. For most of the morning Class 201 worked on _taijutsu_ and _shurikenjutsu_ before going back inside for lunch. While most of the class went up to the Academy roof, Tanjirō and Kamado went to the "Safe-for-Nezuko" room as usual.

"...I can't believe I _almost_ got the bullseye this time," Naruto was saying. "I was so close..."

"Yeah, but you'll get it next time," Tanjirō assured his friend. "Your aim is getting a lot better."

"Of course it is, _-ttebayo_ ," Naruto agreed. "And soon enough I'll do better than Sasuke _-teme_!"

"Mm-hmm," Tanjirō agreed with a nod, however they suddenly stopped, pausing for a moment.

Tanjirō smelled a certain person carrying the scent of lavender, nervousness and even curiosity, while Naruto sensed them as if they were right behind him touching his back. Tanjirō had helped Naruto really improve his enhanced sense of touch and spatial awareness over the last couple months, even teaching him the Total Concentration Breathing with helped with that and even his _chakra_ control, interestingly enough, which further helped him improve _jutsu_ he'd struggled with.

"Hinata," Naruto called out as turned around, but nobody was there.

"Probably ducked around the corner," Tanjirō suggested since he could still smell her nearby.

Naruto had told Tanjirō about how Hinata Hyūga would occasionally follow him around or even come watch him from afar while he was training or something. At first, the Uzumaki had thought that she was being weird, especially since they _did_ know each other, but eventually he came to appreciate it a little since it kind of made him feel like there was something watching out for him.

Like everyone else in the class, Tanjirō could tell that Hinata _really_ liked Naruto although he saw her as a cousin or sister, which regardless was likely why she would follow him around or even watch him from far. It was very clear that she was also too nervous to express her feelings for Naruto. On the other hand, some potential conflict could arise between the Hyūga...and Nezuko.

Tanjirō also knew that his little sister had become quite attached to Naruto since she first met the Uzumaki, and in recent days he wondered if Nezuko was starting to develop a crush on Naruto.

"Come on, let's just keep going," Tanjirō suggested, wondering why the Hyūga could be following them. Before today, she hadn't done so during the lunch break, so what was she up to today?

Regardless, the two boys continued and eventually Hinata resumed following them.

* * *

The "Safe-for-Nezuko" room was a windowless-room that was towards the back of the first floor that was supposed to be a lounge since it had a few comfortable chairs and even a small table, but it had clearly been abandoned by the _Ninja_ Academy to instead have a lounge elsewhere.

When they entered the room, Tanjirō turned on the light to illuminate the small room and then the boys went to sit down at the table which they had previously drug the chairs over to. Tanjirō sat the box down while Naruto set his bag down and they each took out a _bento_ from their box/bag.

Naruto had an orange _bento_ containing _sekihan_ , a seasonal salad and _tonkatsu_ while Tanjirō had a red _bento_ containing _zakkokumai_ , slices of fruit and _tamagoyaki_. But as they expected, before the boys could begin eating or Nezuko could get out of her box, there was a knock at the door.

Tanjirō got up and walked over the door, opening it to reveal Hinata with her schoolbag there.

 _"Kon'nichiwa,_ Hinata _-chan,"_ Tanjirō greeted her. "What are you doing here?"

"Well...I...I was wondering if I could eat lunch with you and Naruto _-kun_ ," Hinata replied.

"You could've asked us instead of following us," Naruto pointed out and she sighed.

 _"Gomen,"_ Hinata said, hanging her head, but then she frowned back up at them. "Wait...you two knew that I was following you? And again, I'm sorry that I followed you here."

"It's okay, but yeah, we knew," Tanjirō assured Hinata. "I've got a really good sense of smell..."

"...and I've got a really good sense of touch," Naruto added. "It was pretty easy to sense you."

"Oh, I see," Hinata remarked with a smile. "Anyways, may I eat lunch with you?"

"That would be fine," Tanjirō replied, before turning to Naruto. "What do you think, Naruto?"

"I don't mind," Naruto said. "But...do you think we can trust her...?"

"Trust me with what," Hinata inquired a little nervously.

"It's a really important secret," Tanjirō replied vaguely.

"Does it have to do with your box, Tanjirō _-kun_ ," Hinata asked. "And...if I may...what's in it?"

"I've mentioned my sister before, correct," Tanjirō asked the Hyūga heiress, who nodded as she came into the room and closed the door behind her, the three students then walking to the box.

"You never said her, but I think you said she couldn't come to the Academy because of a health condition, even though she wanted to," Hinata recalled, and Tanjirō nodded in confirmation. Her expression then turned into a mix of confusion and worry. "Wait...she's not in the box...is she?"

"You see, this is a _really_ big secret that only _Oji-chan_ , Tanjirō and I know about," Naruto said.

That definitely caught her attention. A secret that only a few people, including the _Hokage_ , knew about...that was big. Even though her curiosity was piqued, she took a step back from the box.

Then, a _thump_ came from the box that made it shape, and Naruto laughed since he knew that it was just Nezuko being silly and trying to scare the Hyūga. The lid creaked open and Hinata took another step back as Nezuko crawled out of her box. She was small, appearing to be only eight.

However, with a soft moan from behind her bamboo-muzzle, she slowly rose and grew into her full eleven-year-old height, standing taller than Hinata who was only just a bit taller than Naruto.

Hinata was shocked as Nezuko stood before her. While at first the young _oni_ might have been acting spooky, she was just an adorable young girl who was about her age, eleven-going-twelve.

"What...?" Hinata stared at Nezuko. "She's so cute...but...why is she...wearing a muzzle?"

"It's a safety precaution...so that she doesn't bite anyone," Tanjirō said as Nezuko reached up to briefly lower the muzzle and show Hinata her elongated-canines as she had done for Naruto.

"I don't understand..why would she bite someone," Hinata asked as she and the boys sat down.

"Nezuko _-chan_ is...well...an _oni_ ," Tanjirō explained as his little sister took a seat as well.

"An _oni_ ," Hinata asked, however the concept did not seem unfamiliar to her. She studied the _oni_ , her pale-lavender eyes locking with Nezuko's pale-pink. "So...so that's why...she's in a box."

"Wait...Hinata...you know about _oni_ ," Naruto asked Hinata, who nodded, surprising the boys.

"Mm-hmm, but...I'm surprised," Hinata admitted as she looked away from Nezuko to Tanjirō and Naruto. "The stories _Okā-sama_ told me about _oni_...they painted them as monsters who used to be human...that they couldn't be in the sunlight...and that they eat...people. But...Nezuko seems different...I'm guessing she can't be out at day...but she seems like she wouldn't hurt anyone."

And it was very true, Nezuko was not a monster, but instead a child who could figuratively melt someone's heart instantaneously with how insanely cute and adorable she was. In fact, Nezuko was the most beautiful girl from Kumotori Mountain back when she was still there...and human.

"And you're right about that," Naruto agreed. "Nezuko _-chan_ won't hurt people...just other _oni_."

Hinata nodded thoughtfully and smiled. With Hinata's curiosity satisfied, the three humans began eating their lunch while Nezuko hung out with them. Like Tanjirō, Hinata was a thoughtful, caring and kind person. She would not let the secret out, besides, she also had another new friend now.

Especially not to Kanao Tsuyuro, who she knew was a _Kisatsutai_ and may harm sweet Nezuko.


	8. The Flower

It had been a few weeks since Hinata and Yakumo were introduced to the most adorable (or even sometimes "adorkable") child in the whole entire world. Fortunately, they had so far stuck to their word and kept Nezuko a secret, however a few others _did_ find out about. One such person was Kiba, who had an enhanced sense of smell like Tanjirō and had been noticed some "strange human-like scent" coming from Tanjirō's box since the very first day of the semester. After finding out and even getting to meet the gentle- _oni_ , the Inuzuka boy, as well as his _ninken_ -partner Akamaru of course, sometimes ate lunch with Tanjirō, Nezuko and Naruto.

Anyways, Tanjirō was in the Academy training hall practicing his sword techniques (which apparently were known as _kenjutsu_ in Konoha and branched from _bukijutsu_ ). School had ended about an hour or so earlier and Naruto had gone to hang out with Shikamaru and Chōji for a little while. So Tanjirō came here to train for a little while, Nezuko resting in her box nearby. Tanjirō was fortunate that he had learned at least several of the Water Breathing Techniques from Urokokdaki _-san_ before he and Neuko had had come to Konoha.

As he trained, practicing the forms he knew, he smelled someone enter the Training Hall. This person was a girl who smelled of flowers and sweets. Tanjirō sheathed his sword and turned around to face the newcomer.

"Kanao _-san_ ," Tanjirō said, greeting her with a respectful bow. "What brings you here?"

The girl was about the same age as Tanjirō, however she was closer to Nezuko's size. Kanao was a student at the _Ninja_ Academy who Tanjirō felt like he remembered from before coming to Konoha, but he just could not place it. Regardless, while at first Tanjirō hadn't paid much attention to her at first, he had more recently.

Especially since they were both tied for the top spot in Class 201.

On the other hand, while she was very studious and smart, she was also decisive. Many times had she been seen leaving most if not all of her decisions up to the flip of a coin, which most of the meaner students in the class would tease her about, calling her names such as _Koin-san_ or even trying to steal her coin from her and see what would happen. The latter most often resulted in Kanao kicking their butts, the coin remaining safe.

Kanao took out her coin and flipped it into the air, before catching it in the palm of her hand. It was tails.

"I just thought that I would come here to train," Kanao replied as she pocketed the coin.

While most thought she was weird because of her indecisiveness, Tanjirō couldn't help but feel compassion for Kanao. He knew about the problems that Hinata has dealt with from her own family and how so far she has turned out. Tanjirō couldn't help but wonder if something similar or even worse had happened to Kanao.

While she _was_ rather indecisive, Kanao also seemed pretty confident and strong-willed, so he wasn't sure.

"Oh, I see," Tanjirō remarked with a smile. "Maybe we could train together?"

There was still that nagging feeling at the back of his mind that he knew her from before Konoha. But from where? Her name sounded familiar too, could she be someone from his hometown? That could make sense, but then why was she here in Konoha? Not to mention that as far as he knew, this semester was her first at the Konoha _Ninja_ Academy as well. It puzzled him, but once he again he pushed the nagging thought aside.

"Maybe," Kanao said. Did that mean she was going to take out the coin again? Maybe...but for the moment, she kept it in her pocket. This was a first. "By the way, Tanjirō _-san_ , you seem pretty good with a sword."

 _"Arigato,"_ Tanjirō replied, briefly touching the hilt of his _nichirin_. "Do you use a sword at all, Kanao _-san_?"

"Mm-hmm, a little, but _Onē-sama_ is much better than I am," Kanao said.

 _So she has an older sister who is a swordswoman, that's nice,_ Tanjirō thought, not knowing this about her before. "Huh...what's she like?"

 _"Onē-sama,"_ Kanao asked, and Tanjirō nodded. "She's a pretty cheerful person. She's not as strong as some, but she manages. We...we lost our parents when we were really little...I...I don't really remember them. But we had another older sister who took care of us until...until she died and now _Onē-sama_ cares for me."

"I see, I'm sorry to here about that, but it sounds like your sister is a great person," Tanjirō remarked and the Tsuyuri nodded, before fishing out her coin again. She flipped it into the air and it again landed on tails.

"I think I will take you up on your offer to train together," Kanao said as she gave Tanjirō a small smile.

* * *

From that day on, Tanjirō and Kanao began training or even just hanging out together, sometimes when the eldest Kamado sibling wasn't already doing so with his other friends or sometimes while he was. She started to become "part of the group" as it were, however there was one thing Tanjirō was unsure if he should do.

All of his closest friends in Konoha, the ones who he trusted the most to keep it a secret from those who may wish to do her harm, have met Nezuko. They understood what she was, that she would never hurt a human and were fine. However, the strange feeling that he knew Kanao from before Konoha made him feel uneasy.

After a couple of training sessions together, Kanao started to bring her own sword with her. Like his own, it was also a _katana_ , however it was much more than that. Over the last several months, both in Konoha and back on Sagiri Mountain Tanjirō had become _very_ familiar with _nichirin_ and quickly recognized it as such.

He didn't say anything at first, however he knew that sooner or later the fact that she had a _nichirin_ would have to be brought up, especially since Tanjirō _also_ owned such a blade. She was certainly a Demon Slayer.

Or perhaps, like him, Kanao was still only a trainee. Regardless, that could make it difficult having her meet Nezuko. Especially since he had come to realize just why it was he recognized Kanao. She was the girl who accompanied the _Hashira_ who chased him, Nezuko and Giyū to the Shrine where the Siblings came here.

And if she was here...it was possible that that _Hashira_ was as well...and that they were still hunting Nezuko.

However, if that was the case, how come they had not already acted? The Kamado siblings had been here in Konoha for the last few months now, not going anywhere at all. Did that not at all make them easy targets?

"Kanao _-chan_...why...what are you doing in Konoha," Tanjirō asked Kanao one day while they were on the roof the Academy. The box, and thus Nezuko, was with Naruto so that Tanjirō could safely ask Kanao this without endangering his little sister. His suspicions about Kanao had already been shared with Naruto so that he would not be confused when Tanjirō left Nezuko (along with her box) with him to go talk with Kanao.

"What do you mean, Tanjirō _-kun_ ," Kanao asked him as she leaned against the railing that prevented anyone from falling off. It was beautiful up here, small garden and a few trees leading to a couple of steps down to a viewing balcony from which one could look out at the grand _Hokage_ Monument. "I've always lived here."

"No," Tanjirō replied. "I don't think you have."

"Neither have you, if I'm not mistaken," Kanao replied as she turned to face Tanjirō. "You're from Nihon."

"Why are you here, Kanao _-chan_ ," Tanjirō asked again. "Is that _Hashira_ you were with here too?"

"You're that boy, aren't you," Kanao asked instead. "The one carrying an _oni_ in his box?"

"She's my little sister...and she's the only family I have left," Tanjirō retorted as he turned away from her.

"But she's an _oni_...you know they eat people, right," Kanao pointed out.

"I know," Tanjirō half-agreed, having seen an _oni_ eating a human that they killed while he and Nezuko were on their way to Urokodaki _-san_ back in January. "But Nezuko _-chan_ is different, she wouldn't hurt anyone."

Kanao nodded thoughtfully, appearing as if she wanted to protest, however Tanjirō knew that she knew that it was pointless to do so. Tanjirō had been bringing her with him to the Academy for the last several months and she has likely had ample opportunities both at the Academy and elsewhere to give in to her instincts. But she clearly has not. Otherwise, there would be dead people...including Nezuko...and Tanjirō...from _seppuku_.

"It's surprising...that neither of us realized who each other were exactly...until now," Kanao said, placing her hands on the railing and both of the young Demon Slayer trainees looked down at the schoolyard below.

"Yeah, it really is, but I guess neither of us were really thinking about it," Tanjirō replied and Kanao nodded, before sighing. She took out her coin and gave it a flip. It landed on heads this time. "Kanao _-chan_...?"

"I had to know," Kanao replied as she pocketed the coin. "After you and...and your...sister...disappeared into that bright light...we started to leave. There was nothing we could really do at that point...so then we left."

"But you stayed behind," Tanjirō guessed, and Kanao nodded.

"I ran in after you," Kanao continued. "Like I said, I had to know, why are you protecting your sister despite her becoming an _oni_? Besides being family, why are you protecting her?"

"Besides Nezuko _-chan_ being my _imōto,"_ Tanjirō asked, and Kanao nodded again. "Well, it's like I said, she won't hurt anybody...as long as they're human. The day after she turned, she kicked an _oni_ 's head clean off."

"Why did she do that," Kanao asked with surprise.

"She was defending me from that _oni_ ," Tanjirō replied, which _really_ surprised Kanao. "And even defended me from Giyū _-san_ the day before when he attacked us...well..he was trying to kill Nezuko _-chan_ , but still..."

"An _oni_ who doesn't harm humans but instead other _oni_ ," Kanao considered thoughtfully. "Huh..."

Upon instinct, Kanao took out her coin again, however this time she hesitated. Tanjirō turned to watch her as she held the coin. He really wished that she would listen to her own heart instead of letting the coin rule her.

"I don't mean to be rude, but why are you always flipping that coin," Tanjirō asked Kanao.

"I flip this to decide what I haven't been ordered to do," Kanao explained, which did not surprise Tanjirō as he had had a sneaking suspicion that her indecisiveness maybe had something to do with having a dark past.

However, lately Tanjirō had noticed that she was starting to use it a little less, especially when she was with him as well as his other friends. Was it perhaps that she felt more free and open around them? Regardless, it still happened often enough. Anyways, Tanjirō wondered what she was going to use her coin to decide now.

He imagined that it had something to do with Nezuko, and probably if she should believe Tanjirō or not.

"And right now...I...I need to decide whether or not to believe you about...about your sister," Kanao added, confirming Tanjirō's suspicion. "'Don't believe you' is heads and 'believe you' is tails, but I'm just not sure..."

Tanjirō felt, hoped even, that it was her heart crying out in desperation for her to decide for herself. During his training with Urokodaki _-san_ , he had begun to pick up on emotions with his enhanced sense of smell. He could smell not only indecisiveness coming from Kanao as usual, but also...a faint feeling of...compassion?

"Why don't you decide for yourself," Tanjirō suggested. "What do _you_ want to do, Kanao _-chan_?"


End file.
